Project

TRANSPOTTING

Transport processes, recruitment and anchovy size in the Bay of Biscay

TerritoryNational
Funder:State Public Agency
Duration2025-2029
StatusActive

Context

The European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) is a key species for both the marine ecosystem and the fishing and canning industries in the Bay of Biscay. Population dynamics depend to a large extent on annual recruitment, which is determined by the survival of eggs, larvae and juveniles.

Although fisheries management has enabled the stock to recover and remain at healthy levels following the closure of the fishery between 2005 and 2010, uncertainties remain about the processes that regulate recruitment. In recent years, high biomass levels have also coincided with a reduction in the average size of anchovies, a phenomenon that the hypotheses explored to date have not fully explained.

TRANSPOTTING will investigate whether the transport and retention of eggs and larvae, together with predator–prey interactions, influence both their survival and the characteristics of the individuals that reach the juvenile stage.

Objectives

The overall objective of TRANSPOTTING is to determine how the retention and dispersal of anchovy eggs and larvae in the Bay of Biscay affect their survival and, consequently, recruitment strength and the size of juveniles and adults.

To achieve this, the project will address the following specific objectives:

Expected results

TRANSPOTTING will determine the extent to which the transport of eggs and larvae beyond the continental shelf alters their exposure to predation, and how these processes affect their survival and subsequent recruitment.

The project will provide the knowledge needed to establish the relationship between transport patterns, recruitment strength and the size of surviving individuals, helping to explain the changes observed in the Bay of Biscay anchovy population.

It will also develop a methodology for reconstructing historical transport patterns and assess the use of semi-autonomous observation systems and transport models as complementary tools for monitoring the early life stages of anchovy.

Expected impact

The results will contribute to a more ecosystem-based assessment of the anchovy population, incorporating information on the physical and biological processes that shape its dynamics.

The project will also help determine whether the reduction in size observed in recent years is linked to temporal variations in transport patterns or to more persistent environmental changes.

This knowledge could improve our ability to anticipate changes in the abundance and characteristics of the stock and provide useful information for the sustainable management of the fishery, while helping the fishing and canning industries adapt to fluctuations in this resource.

Funding

Project PID2024-157518OB-I00 funded by:

MICIUCofinanciadoAEI-1024x198

Proyectos de investigación

SEADEEP

Sustainable Energy Advancement through Digitalisation for Energy-Efficient Production in Aquaculture and Fisheries

View project

INDAGA

Innovation and Diagnosis for Adaptive Eel Management in the Basque Autonomous Community

View project

GenREACT

Predicting resilience and climate change adaptation potential using genomic tools to improve fisheries management

View project

POLARIS

Strengthening preparedness for plastic pellet spill emergencies in the marine environment

View project

STORMPACT

Early Warning System for coastal flooding risk implemented in the Basque coast

View project

PIXEL

Driving innovation for the sustainable exploitation of pelagic species

View project

BLUENET

Creating new life for disused aquaculture gears to prevent marine litter generation

View project

TIOPESCA

Input-Output Tables for the Basque Fishing Sector

View project

DSeine

Digital Seine: sensorisation and decision-support tool design during purse seine net deployment

View project

ZIMARROI

Spatio-temporal distribution and zonal attachment of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Bay of Biscay

View project

EEO Tuna

Evaluation of management strategies for temperate and tropical tuna stocks of interest to the Basque fleet

View project

PI-BREAK

Predictive Intelligent system to optimize BREAKwater maintenance

View project

GEAR

Bluefin tuna fattening farms research project in the Bay of Biscay

View project

MUGITUN

Migratory Patterns and Thermal Preferences of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna through Biogeochemistry

View project

ACDC

Changes in the accessibility and availability of mackerel and anchovy: technical and strategic adaptations

View project

AnEco

AnEco: Improving knowledge of anchovy population dynamics through a fisheries decision-support tool

View project

BBPP ANABAC

Monitoring and verification of the Code of Best Practices for Purse Seine Tuna Vessels

View project

BBPP OPAGAC

Monitoring and verification of the Code of Best Practices for Purse Seine Tuna Vessels

View project

INFINIFISH

Climate-friendly and resilient fisheries through innovation and co-learning

View project

SIMULEK

Simulation and evaluation of hybrid-electric propulsion systems for coastal and artisanal fishing vessels.

View project

SUMMER

Sustainable management of mesopelagic resources

View project

ARBAS

Protected predators and commercial fisheries: bycatch assessment, mitigation and socio-economic valuation

View project

MEESO

Ecologically and economically Sustainable Mesopelagic Fisheries

View project

SEARCULAR

Circular solutions for fishing gears

View project

SUMIDEROS

Sinks of seafloor litter along the basque coastline

View project

GECKA

Genetic close-kin analysis on white anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) for abundance estimates in support of deep sea fisheries management under the Common Fisheries Policy

View project

MER-CKMR

Estimating the biomass of the hake spawning stock using the close-kin capture-recapture method

View project

GENGES

From genes to fisheries management

View project

EDAMAME

Environmental DNA based approaches for marine and aquatic monitoring and evaluation

View project

CASELEM

Improving Trawl Selectivity under the Landing Obligation: Selectivity Survey on board the RV Emma Bardán

View project

ECOPES

Enfoque ecosistémico para la investigación pesquera

View project

BIOMAN & JUVENA

Campaigns for the scientific evaluation of anchovies

View project

SIMMA

Sistemas innovadores de monitoreo para prevención de riesgos en zonas de producción de moluscos en mar abierto

View project

BSH – BLUESHARK

Habitat characterisation, migration patterns and spatio-temporal interaction of the Basque fleet with blue sharks (Prionacea glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus)

View project

SALPAS

Vertical distribution of anchovy and mackerel, predictive and tactical solutions

View project

MARINE BEACON

Understanding and reducing bycatch of protected species

View project

SECWEB

Strengthening regional cooperation in the field of data collection.

View project

SELAR2

Reducción del DESCARTE de las especies sujetas a TAC en la flota de arrastre que opera en aguas Comunitarias

View project

INXS

Innovation for the sustainable exploitation of pelagic species

View project

BIOGEARS

Biobased and Biodegradable Ropes for Aquaculture

View project

TRANSEATION

Advancing Ecosystem-Based Management through Hybrid Blue-Grey Infrastructures in Marine and Coastal Areas

View project

SUSTUNTECH

Sustainable tuna fisheries through advanced earth observation tools

View project

TRANSEGAN

The role of ocean transport in anchovy and mackerel eggs and larvae

View project

BFT Index

BFT juvenile acoustic index in the Bay of Biscay

View project

SUPERV

Optimización de la supervivencia del DESCARTE en la flota de cerco del País Vasco en el marco de la Obligación de Desembarque (OD): Factores tecnológicos y operativos

View project

EveryFish

Digital transition of catch monitoring in European fisheries

View project

UTOFIA

A new, compact and cost-efficient concept for underwater range-gated imaging system

View project

BIOFAD

Testing designs and identify options to mitigate impacts of drifting fads on ecosystem

View project

PALPROF

Deep-sea longline campaign to estimate the abundance of sharks and other species.

View project

NEGULABUR

Spatial-temporal distribution of bluefin tuna in the Bay of Biscay

View project

Gipuzkoa Coastal Observatory on Climate Change

Monitoring and analysis of physico-chemical and biological indicators of climate change on the coast of Gipuzkoa

View project

URBAN KLIMA 2050

The biggest climate action project in the Basque Country

View project

MEECE

Marine Ecosystem Evolution in a Changing Environment

View project

CLIREMAR

Escenarios climáticos de los recursos marinos vulnerables de España

View project

MSE Tuna

Desarrollo de marcos de gestión para atunes tropicales y atún blanco del Atlántico

View project

CLIPES

Predicción y anticipación de los efectos de la variabilidad en condiciones oceanográficas y el cambio climático global a las pesquerías de las flotas vascas

View project

SMARTFISH

Landing obligation and choke species in multispecies and mixed fisheries in the south western waters

View project

SEAGLOW

Sustainable Energy Applications for Green and Low-impact Operation of small-scale fishing boats in the Baltic and North Sea basins

View project

OptiFish

Optimización del seguimiento y la notificación digital de capturas en la pesca europea

View project

ORTZELEK

Investigación y desarrollo de Tecnologías para lograr Cero Emisiones de Embarcaciones Costeras

View project

DIADES

Assessing and enhancing ecosystem services provided by diadromous fish in a climate change context

View project

MENDES

Aproximación integral a la minimización y manejo de la captura no deseada (antes descartes) de la flota española que opera al arrastre en aguas del Golfo de Bizkaia y del Noroeste ibérico

View project

MENDES 2

Estudio y optimización de la selectividad de la red de arrastre en el caladero del Cantábrico y Noroeste con vistas a su optimización en el marco de la adaptación a la regulación sobre Obligación de Desembarque

View project

Community Fisheries Data Collection Programme

Sampling and collection of biological variables from different fisheries

View project

MARINE GUARDIAN

Reducing the environmental impacts of fisheries on marine species and hábitats

View project

VarMer

Variability in abundance and biological parameters of European hake

View project

EPELECO

Evaluating the pelagic realm from an integrated ecosystem based perspective in a changing world: insights from the NE Atlantic

View project

SEAwise

Shaping Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management

View project

DISCARDLESS

Working for less discards

View project

SOSART

Sustainability of Small-Scale Fisheries: Distribution of Fishing Opportunities and the Impact of Designating Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems

View project

CABFISHMAN

Conserving Atlantic Biodiversity by Supporting Innovative Small Scale Fisheries co-Management

View project

LAMARCA-OMO

LAgrangian transport of MARine litter and microplastics from modeling, analysisand observations in CoAstal waters

View project

GBYP

Genetic and biological studies for the population structure of Bluefin Tuna

View project

ITUNNES

Improving tropical TuNa biological knowledge for eNd-usErS

View project

GENOMY

Feasibility study of genetic methods and otolith microchemistry to inform population structure of eastern Pacific yellowfin tuna.

View project

Research team

Naiara Aldanondo

Naroa Aldanondo
Researcher (PhD)

Contact
Related application sectors, research lines and sublines

Sectors: Fisheries and aquaculture sector

Research lines: Blue Economy, Efficient, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, Operational Oceanography

Research sublines: Coastal–Ocean Modelling, Fishery technologies, Real-Time Observation and Monitoring, Sustainable fishery management

Cookies